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Kermit the Frog
First appearance: Sam and Friends Recent appearances: The Muppets' Wizard of Oz; Thanksgiving commercials for Target; promotional appearance in Kermit, TX. Kermit has commented on many occasions that "as a tadpole in the swamp, I had 3,265 brothers and sisters!" More of his childhood adventures were chronicled in Kermit's Swamp Years. Miss Piggy insists that she and Kermit got married in The Muppets Take Manhattan, and that they're very happy. Kermit claims that that was just a movie role, and that in real life, they have a "professional relationship". Kermit is close friends with Fozzie Bear, and he has a nephew, Robin. Sesame Street Unpaved jokes that Kermit's birthday is on Leap Year Day, but Kermit's official birthday is May 9th. Character origins An early version of Kermit appeared in 1955 on Sam and Friends, Jim Henson's five-minute puppet show that aired twice a day on WRC-TV. Henson made the Kermit puppet out of his mother's old spring coat, and with ping-pong balls for eyes. Kermit wasn't a frog in the early days of the character. He was actually somewhat lizard-like in appearance, and he had round feet instead of flippers. As Jim Henson said in a 1982 interview, "All the characters in those days were abstract". Kermit became a frog for the TV special Hey Cinderella, which was taped in 1968. That special aired in 1970, so Kermit made his television debut as a frog in The Muppets On Puppets, a one-hour special that Henson produced for public television in 1968. By the time Kermit appeared on the premiere of Sesame Street in November, 1969, he was a full-fledged frog. Kermit's story Kermit's mother, as well as some of his thousands of siblings, can be seen in Kermit's Swamp Years. Kermit on Sesame Street Kermit's most famous role on Sesame Street is his role as a news reporter for the Sesame Street News Flash segments, interviewing characters from nursery rhymes and fairy tales. One of his most memorable works was the song "Bein' Green". Some of his other famous Sesame Street songs have included "This Frog", "I Love My Elbows", "On My Pond", and "Caribbean Amphibian". He has also given many lectures on simple subjects. Some of Kermit's Lectures have been for the letter W, hands, and "Big and Short." He appeared in the "Monsterpiece Theater" segment "Gone with the Wind", as well as an appearance in a "Miami Mice" sketch. Unlike other Sesame Street characters, Sesame Workshop never had any ownership of Kermit the Frog. Because of this, Kermit has rarely been part of any Sesame Street merchandise. He appeared in The Sesame Street Storybook Alphabet, "The Sesame Street Dictionary", some books from The Sesame Street Learning Kit, and in Sesame Street Unpaved. He also appeared in many Sesame Street videos, including Big Bird's Storytime, "Count it Higher", "Sesame Street 25th Birthday Celebration", I'm Glad I'm Me, and, of course, The Best of Kermit on Sesame Street. His songs have also appeared on many Sesame Street albums. The only Kermit toy that was labeled as a Sesame Street toy was the Magic Talking Kermit toy, released in 1999. In 2005, he appeared on a Sesame Street winter hat by Berkshire Fashions. Although the rights to Kermit the Frog are owned by The Walt Disney Company, and the rights to Sesame Street are owned by Sesame Workshop, Sesame Workshop currently has permission from Disney to show old Kermit segments in current episodes of Sesame Street, as well as in home video and DVD productions. However, old Kermit segments are not shown very often in current episodes. Interestingly enough, in 1970, Kermit the Frog was intended to be dropped from Sesame Street, only to be shown in the second season in existing segments. "When the new season starts November 9, expect changes. There will be no more know-it-all frog, since Kermit, the one Muppet who is not exclusive to Sesame Street, is opting out to do commercials." (Look, Sept. 22, 1970.) Time Magazine reported with slightly more detail: "Kermit the Frog is being canned for commercialism. When Sesame Street was just a glint in Joan Ganz Cooney's eye, Kermit taped a special in Canada. When it was given a network airing, the frog was compromised. Or so Henson decided. .... He is being phased out of the show. He will be replaced by such Muppets as Herbert Birdsfoot and Sherlock Hemlock" (Time, November 23, 1970). Ultimately, of course, that did not turn out to be the case, as Kermit reappeared as a Sesame Street character in the 3rd season (1971). Awards and Honors * Kermit received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame in 2002. * He was awarded an honorary doctorate of Amphibious Letters on May 19, 1996 at Southampton College, where he also gave a commencement speech. * Kermit's song "The Rainbow Connection" was nominated for an Academy Award, as was "The First Time It Happens" from The Great Muppet Caper. Casting History * Jim Henson - from Sam and Friends (1955) to The Muppets at Walt Disney World (1990) * Steve Whitmire - from The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (1990) to present Rumors *Kermit's Froghood *Kermit's Name *Brian Henson as Kermit See also Kermit the Frog quotes Category:Muppet Characters Category:Sam and Friends Characters Category:Muppet Show Characters Category:Sesame Street Characters Category:Jim Henson Hour Characters Category:Muppets Tonight Characters